I am working on building an APC for airsoft/paintball. The plans I made call for sheet metal. but first I have to build the frame. This is what I have so far. And I'm asking. will an 18 horse power engine be powerful enough to pull the weight of 3 people and all the metal for the armor? thin sheets of steel. The full frame will utilize the hollow pipes you see the base frame is made out of. the crude handles used for steering are For rest driving Purposes untill I have a proper steering components. go ahead and laugh at the flames on the bicycle forks...I'll wait.......ok right. Back to the matter at hand. I test drove it yesterday. And it seems like it has to much power. it is a large frame. with me and my brother on it. just at an idol the engine revs high enough to take off even with us holding it back. the gear ratio is 660. I used a large back sprocket to give it a lot of torque and low top end since it will not need to go very fast. but it seems as if it's very fast. From the test I got over 20. it drives like a long wheel base truck. any thoughts on how I could make the body? i want to add a sort of. commanders seat. Higher up with a sort of cupola that has a 360° view but I might be thinking outside the limit of the 18horse engine
Laugh at the flames
>>1005221
That's never going to work. First the steering mechanism requires 2 people to function. Second it's too wide. Third 18 he will carry you, but about as fast as a riding lawn mower by Murray.
not sure if you read the post but the crude pipe handles are just temporary till I make a steering drive
>>1005216
Why not just buy a old beat up van to work on?
This isn't a go kart made for high speed jumps and donuts it's an APC it's designed to go slow and carry people with space and armor in mind
>>1005225
I want to make it my own. Using a van is not fun. where is the sense of accomplishment. I did all this by hand, I kinda wanna feel like I really made somthing instead of using somthing prefabricated
>>1005225
>just buy it
The fuck are you doing here?
>>1005216
You're going to burn up clutches. The clutch really doesn't like being engaged/disengaged very quickly. I went through quite a few and they were all burned to shit. I did all sorts of gearing tricks to keep the kart at parade speed while still revving high enough to keep the clutch engaged. I'm going to go with a torq-a-verter and a bigger engine next.
Especially with the fuck ton of weight you'll be adding you might want to look into some kind of gear box solution.
>>1005231
maybe so. I know I could of used a fourwheeler motor but to be honest. I don't really want that much power, plus I already built the rear end. not much I can do to change. And I don't think the clutch is working very well to begin with. at an idol it wants to grab
>>1005216
Trust me, op. With a torque converter and possibly a jack shaft to boot, you could probably move 3 people and the weight of that thing at a decent pace with just a 6 horsepower motor. Make sure to give it an ackerman steering setup like in pic related so you can actually steer. Maybe you could just have some sort of grab bar inside? It'd be better than 2 separate steering bars.
>>1005228
Yeah, because he built that from steel he refined from iron he smelted from mining in his back yard?
He would still have to modify it to suit his needs just because it's DIY doesn't mean you have to do everything from raw materials.
And gutting an old van is a hell of a lot more likely to give him something reliable to work with.
>>1005227
I can understand that, but there is a reason for the saying "No need to reinvent the wheel".
You are most likely going to have serious reliability issues.
>>1005235
the silly steering you see in the images above are temporary. as basic as it gets so I can actualy test it on the drive way. I don't plan on using that method for long the method I planed on using is how basic go karts steer. A flat plate with two rods that connect out to a small pipe that connects to the bicycle forks. at the end of the rods it will have a swivel bearing. so when I turn left the plate will pull one side and push the other
>>1005236
Man I just want to build somthing, I built this 4 years ago when I was 16 I used an old gokart as the base. this time I just wanted to build the base my self you're probably not a builder so you wouldn't understand where I'm coming from reguard less of reliability issues. I want to risk it to make it that much better when it works.
>>1005238
I hope you are going to change the front wheels too, there is no way those bicycle wheels are going to support all the weight you are going to put on them.
Also, why using metal if it's for airsoft? Can't you just use some plexiglass/polycarbonate/plastic and paint it to make it look like metal if you really want some kind of realism?
Metal weighs a lot and I don't thing you need all the strength it has if it only has to resist airsoft bullets.
>>1005240
I will more than likely double up the front wheels keep in mind the back is where most of the weight is. And if you haven't noticed I opted to use lawn mower tires. the front wheels was a stupid idea of mine back probably 3 ish years ago I had less experience back then and was foolish to think it would work. I had it on the side while I worked on plate/mail armor. I recently decided to start working on it again.
>>1005241
I will more than likely chop the front wheels and replace it with a sort of A-frame design like on a car/truck
>>1005240
as for metal. Well. there is nothing better than the sound of plastic bb's bouncing off sheet metal. wood/plastic will never do. For ultimate realism men use metal...obviously ...
>>1005239
i feel it brother. you can do this shit, don't give up
>>1005256
>piece of shit
yet it works flawlessly as intended
Thanks for that
How are you going to change the rear tires in the field? Or when there is no tread. You must think shit out. Look at Bradley apcs. You want to keep it light as possible. Fuck the pretend realism. Do you want an effective vehicle or a non functional "realistic" one.
Research mechanized infantry and hbct's for ideas.
The heavy you get the less maneuverability.. The lighter the least protection.. You must find the middle.
What you have is a shit APC, what you need is a shit LAV3. If you don't have a 22mm cannon on the top you're wasting your time
>>1005243
Yeah I see your point, but you should probably reconsider the use of metal on at least part of the bodywork if you care about your engine or your ability to actually go anywhere.
You already have to sit 3 people + gear for 3 people, which is something like 250-300kg, if you start adding lots of sheet metal plus all the stuff that is still missing like a proper steering mechanism, seating, some sort of actual suspension, additional fuel capacity and an exhaust system for the engine so you don't die in there, you will soon see the weight skyrocket and your engine suffer a lot (even more so if it lacks air for cooling)
If you really want that hit sound, use very light metal where it is most likely to be hit and use plastic everywhere else like the top or the undercarriage.
>>1005231
Maybe he can do something about the springs in the centrifugal clutch? He should figure out what engine speeds it engages and disengages at and see what vehicle speed that translates into and then it will depend on his terrain and vehicle use. If it is primarily flat a to b, disembark then fight for a while then b to c then repeat then clutch might not be much of an issue. If it is a technical off road course or fighting on the move then he would want to make adjustments.
>>1005239
>I want to risk it to make it that much better when it works.
So you want to over complicate things so it makes it seem like you accomplished more?
>>1005269
Bro, this thing is stopping plastic pellets coming from toys marketed to children; no small arms fire. He can use 18 gauge sheet metal not 1/2 steel plate.
>>1005301
Hell, he could probably get away with some quarter inch plywood easy. Cheaper, lighter, easier to work with.
Anyways, vehicle design:
You'll want to have the engine in a separate compartment, for obvious reasons. If you can fit in tandem seating I'd do that and then a third seat or bench in the back, otherwise a central place for the driver and seats in the rear. Since your engine is offset you could do some kind of rear exit ramp/hatch so that anybody riding can exit under cover instead of having to go out the sides. Try to avoid making it too tall otherwise it'll probably roll. Use some good thick plexiglass for windows/vision slits, give the driver a hand-operated windshield wiper and setup to spray water out so that he can clear his windshield.
When you're using it, you should have one or two people with radios acting as referees/spotters to make sure nobody gets run over.
For a future revision I would suggest adding leaf springs for the rear wheels and shocks up front.
>>1005301
>Bro, this thing is stopping plastic pellets coming from toys marketed to children; no small arms fire. He can use 18 gauge sheet metal not 1/2 steel plate.
Yes, but it's still heavier than plastic or plexiglass.
Of course if he has some sheet metal laying around it would be a waste not to use it, but I'm thinking in terms of engine reliability here.
The lighter the better, he still has to add a lot of shit to that vehicle, that engine is going to struggle a lot of he goes for a full metal shell plus all the missing stuff.
Some haters in this thread!
OP do want you want man. These fuckers here will wreck your head. You have the skill and knowledge to succeed.
Keep us updated please. Very interesting thread.
Any update, OP?
